Usually i play pes offline on superstar level but i get my *ss kicked even vs Qarabag and Kobenhaven while i have top teams like bayern and real. It's very frustrating!

I like to play wide like 4-3-3(attack) with a shadowstriker behind the cs. Defence i use mostly pressure but now and then pure defence. As advanced tactics i use on the flanks, center before goal, and counter striker as defence.

Sometimes i score but the cpu always scores back and begins too slaughter me like a madman.

That's where I get the most joy, especially with the "centering targets" tactic enabled.

I'm playing on top player, superstar feels far too much like playing against a machine that doesn't put a foot wrong. I'm probably a little too good to play top player, but I try and balance that by not playing as one of the top teams.

Guys, you can better play online. That's the real deal and where the REAL machines at!! Vs the AI can't never be the same as vs each time a real person. Since i play online divisions i stopped with offline. I'm in div.9 now and must say it's addictive!!!

Ha! Too true. That's why increasingly I'm only enjoying playing games with people I know. (I do so in an online league, which is awesome.)

I don't understand why some online players look down on the offline players. Really, it's a different experience, and often more fun, because more varied. You get time on the ball, you know that the AI isn't going to look for the easiest possible exploit like 80+% of the online people. (The AI still has a long way to go, but it's less exploitative than humans overall.)

Without actually seeing how you play, it's hard to diagnose what's going wrong. But what you mention, tactically, is a little sophisticated perhaps. That stuff's important, but it comes later. IMO, with certain basic things right, you should be able to beat bad teams on Super Star fairly easily, before adding tactical changes and playstyles into the mix.

So I'd review certain basics like: ball control, build-up passing, careful use of pace, learning to be patient in finding opportunities, use/exploitation of space. You can do all that against Regular or better, in training or matches.

General hints that rarely go amiss:

- almost never use pace unless you are in lots of space, or are escaping a tight situation (a "burst" of pace)
- don't use your CB to press/tackle unless it's an emergency, or you have at least two covering; ideally, use a DMF or CMF to run back (manual switch with right stick)
- don't use the second-player press unless you can squeeze an opponent in a bad spot (in the fullback area, e.g.), because it opens up huge space
- don't look for long and obvious passes all the time; get used to staying on the ball, dribbling (without pace), rounding the opponent and finding a player in better space
- USE THE MAP; that one can't be emphasised enough, hence the obnoxious capitals... get in a habit of checking the map to find players and see opponents

Sticking to principles like these on easier levels, and playing your way up to greater difficulty settings should help.

Thx alot for the great useful info! Like you say first i must master the basic principles like ball posession, build up,... before i try to use advanced tactics.

Later this evening i m gonna stream a friendly game or more on superstar to youtube and i'll give the link. If you want watch the game when you have time and afterwards it would be great to hear an analyse of the good/bad points. I m gonna show everything like formation, strategy,... .

Defending: Notice what you're doing with your back line in the defensive stage of play (e.g., 08:50 in the Chile vid). You're switching between CBs, and not pressuring the attacker with anyone. Sometimes you drift out with a CB, but ideally, in that situation, you want to flick using the RS to your DMF, and use him to pressure the attacker.

Crossing: e.g. 08:35, you're not trying to get into space on the wing, but are just launching the ball and hoping for the best. It means the cross will be less accurate, and easier to clear. You need to be slowing down the pace, shielding the ball, waiting to see where you can burst into before trying to find a specific player in the box, whom you also want to be in space.

Sprinting: Can't say for sure, but looked like you were holding down sprint button most of the time – cut that out straight away! Look at how easily you lose the ball at 15:13

Passing: not taking time to see if the pass is a good option, e.g. 09:05

Ball control: 09:25, you do a skill move that takes you into the path of an opposition player, laterally, when there's loads of space behind him. Don't use skill moves until you've begun to master specific ones, and know how to exploit space with them. Better in this situation to just turn away from the defender to your right, and then use a quick tap of the sprint one to move into space, before slowing down again.

Pressuring: 09:30, you're running after the ball not trying to squeeze space. In this kind of situation, you can use Super Cancel (on default controls, that's R1&R2), to get full control over your player. You're not quick enough to beat him to the ball, so instead you can angle your run to be nearer to the goal than he is, thus getting yourself in a more stable position to block a cross or to take the ball.

Clearing: 09:36, you're doing small passes inside the box, and are very lucky not to concede possesion/a goal. Better to be decisive: Square (not Circle) + d-pad away will clear it down the pitch, or you can use stronger passes to players that you can see (using the radar) are in space.

Defensive posititioning/agression: at 12:10-12:20, you just let the COM play in the middle of the pitch. Some of the problem might be formation, since there's a lot of space between your offensive and midfield line (who are quite deep). But in general, you're only switching between players, covering passing lanes that the AI isn't looking to use. You need to move in and disrupt their possession play, then quickly switch to nearby players to block the lanes they'll use to escape. Same at 17:38-:45, look at how easy it is for the attacker to run around you because the positioning is not careful.

Yes i use the sprint alot but i'm a counter player and love fast pace instead of possession play so how can i be fast without sprinting??

Second.. don't forget i played vs brazil, one of the world giants while i have a less team that even didn't qualify for the world cup i thought.

Third i use button settings 2 just like in fifa so square is lofted pass and circle is shooting so compared to these settings what is the best way to remove the ball out my box with as little danger as possible??

Another note from me.. ok i was maybe lucky that they couldn't score often but it's on superstar and when you look till the end i could have won this one. In the end i cut inside then do a nice move but miss this great opportunity.

So.. imo i didn't do it that bad. But if you look to my "Road To World Cup" there went EVERYTHING WRONG and got my *ss kicked by even Thailand and Iceland!!!!

Yes i use the sprint alot but i'm a counter player and love fast pace instead of possession play so how can i be fast without sprinting??

Well, even a counter-attacking player should be careful to use sprinting in the right moments, and not all the time. You want to use the radar to determine where space is (you can also change the camera to be further out), and use pace to "break into" space. At the moment, I saw you using it in the direction of oncoming players. Also, effective counters also involve unexpected passing chains that open up space. Sometimes a pass is more effective than a sprint, on the counter.

Second.. don't forget i played vs brazil, one of the world giants while i have a less team that even didn't qualify for the world cup i thought.
[. . .]
Another note from me.. ok i was maybe lucky that they couldn't score often but it's on superstar and when you look till the end i could have won this one. In the end i cut inside then do a nice move but miss this great opportunity.

Sure, you could've beaten them, and they were a stronger side. But the mistakes we make exist even in games where we get good results, because they're habitual. (I'm the same – even when I get a good result, it's common that I've made many mistakes, and just was lucky not to be punished for them!)

Third i use button settings 2 just like in fifa so square is lofted pass and circle is shooting so compared to these settings what is the best way to remove the ball out my box with as little danger as possible??

Okay, with it reversed (never understood why people would reverse them! feels so counter intuitive to me haha), you want to use Circle to clear. That is: don't press the button which is in charge of crosses and long balls, because it will "charge up" the power bar, and that takes time to execute. The longer it takes to clear, the more open you are to being tackled/intercepted.

Roberto carlos wrote: ↑ Yes i use the sprint alot but i'm a counter player and love fast pace instead of possession play so how can i be fast without sprinting??
Well, even a counter-attacking player should be careful to use sprinting in the right moments, and not all the time. You want to use the radar to determine where space is (you can also change the camera to be further out), and use pace to "break into" space. At the moment, I saw you using it in the direction of oncoming players. Also, effective counters also involve unexpected passing chains that open up space. Sometimes a pass is more effective than a sprint, on the counter.

Use the radar?? You repeated that a few times but honestly it goes so fast that i really don't have the time to look at the radar... . I really wonder how many people use it?

Roberto carlos wrote: ↑ Second.. don't forget i played vs brazil, one of the world giants while i have a less team that even didn't qualify for the world cup i thought.
[. . .]
Another note from me.. ok i was maybe lucky that they couldn't score often but it's on superstar and when you look till the end i could have won this one. In the end i cut inside then do a nice move but miss this great opportunity.
Sure, you could've beaten them, and they were a stronger side. But the mistakes we make exist even in games where we get good results, because they're habitual. (I'm the same – even when I get a good result, it's common that I've made many mistakes, and just was lucky not to be punished for them!)[/quote]

Ok i admit they were the mighty one and maybe i was just lucky they couldn't score. I don't deny also i made alot of mistakes.

Roberto carlos wrote: ↑ Third i use button settings 2 just like in fifa so square is lofted pass and circle is shooting so compared to these settings what is the best way to remove the ball out my box with as little danger as possible??
Okay, with it reversed (never understood why people would reverse them! feels so counter intuitive to me haha), you want to use Circle to clear. That is: don't press the button which is in charge of crosses and long balls, because it will "charge up" the power bar, and that takes time to execute. The longer it takes to clear, the more open you are to being tackled/intercepted.[/quote]

I tell you the reason about the reversing.. : actually i'm a fifa player since the years... and it has always been like that so i wanted the same with pes. Otherwise it's a real pain in the *ss to play like that.

So @janguv can you advice me about good solid formations with 3 attackers and good midfield?

Use the radar?? You repeated that a few times but honestly it goes so fast that i really don't have the time to look at the radar... . I really wonder how many people use it?

Yes, I really do mean look at it. It's much easier the more you practice. It's a bit like riding a bike no-handed – it feels like it's going to be really dangerous, but you're actually capable of doing it well, and switching between looking at the pitch and looking at the radar. It's essential for finding passes and for spotting weaknesses in your defence.

I tell you the reason about the reversing.. : actually i'm a fifa player since the years... and it has always been like that so i wanted the same with pes. Otherwise it's a real pain in the *ss to play like that.

Haha, well, maybe you should just switch to the original PES controls (even when I played FIFA, I used PES controls).

So @janguv can you advice me about good solid formations with 3 attackers and good midfield?

If you definitely want 3 attackers, then that means you'll always go four at the back. (It's not always the best.) You'll want at least one DMF to cope with counter attacks. Then it's up to how you play, but I like either one CMF and one AMF, or two CMFs. If you play with advanced fullbacks/wingbacks, it's good to have nearby CMFs who can play passes with the wingbacks; that way, you can advance up the pitch.